The present invention relates to an integrated circuit die, an integrated circuit package, and to a method of packaging the integrated circuit die.
Conventionally, integrated circuit dies (that is, singulated portions of semiconductor wafers) are “packaged” before use. That is, they are encapsulated in a body of resin (plastics) material. Conventionally, integrated circuit dies are packaged by: placing them onto a lead frame; forming wire bonds between respective lead portions of the lead frame and electrical contacts of the die; embedding the dies, wire bonds and part of the lead portions of the lead frame in resin material; and then separating the lead portions from the rest of the lead frame.
In an alternative packaging technique, each integrated circuit die is formed with an array of electrical contacts on one of its major surfaces. A resin body is formed around each integrated circuit die, including a layer of resin on the major surface. An array of conductive balls (a “ball grid array”, BGA), in register with the array of electrical contacts, extend through the resin layer, thereby forming respective electrical paths between the respective electrical contacts of the die and the major surface of the package. In use, the resulting BGA package is typically mounted directly to a printed circuit board (PCBs), with the BGA in register with electrical contacts of the PCB.
The present invention aims to provide new and useful integrated circuit dies, new and useful packaging methods for integrated circuits, and new and useful integrated circuit packages.